NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who regularly consume
low-fat milk or yogurt may have a lower risk of developing high
blood pressure, new research suggests.

In a study of nearly 29,000 U.S. women age 45 or older,
researchers found that those who had the most low-fat dairy in
their diets were slightly less likely to develop high blood
pressure over 10 years.

They found a similar blood pressure benefit when they
looked at the women's intake of calcium and vitamin D -- which
most Americans get mainly through dairy products.

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Calcium and vitamin D from supplements, however, were
unrelated to blood pressure, the researchers report in the
medical journal Hypertension.

It's not clear from this study why supplements showed no
positive effects on blood pressure. However, other research has
found greater blood pressure reductions from whole foods
compared with supplements, explained lead researcher Dr. Lu
Wang, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Altogether, the evidence suggests that the "complete
nutrition profile" of foods is important in their blood
pressure effects, Wang told Reuters Health.

Still, calcium itself may play a "major role" in the
association between low-fat dairy foods and lower blood
pressure, according to Wang.

When the researchers factored in calcium, the beneficial
effect attributed to low-fat dairy was largely diminished --
indicating that calcium may explain a good share of the
relationship.

The study included 28,886 middle-aged and older U.S. women
who completed detailed dietary questionnaires at the outset.
Over the next 10 years, 8,710 women developed high blood
pressure, but the risk was 11 percent lower among those who
consumed the most low-fat dairy compared with those who
consumed the least.

Higher-fat milk and dairy products, on the other hand,
conferred no such benefit. It's possible, according to Wang's
team, that the saturated fat in whole milk counteracts any
blood-pressure benefits of calcium or other dairy nutrients.

U.S. dietary guidelines call for Americans to strive for
three servings of milk products per day. "Our study findings
support this recommendation and emphasize the importance of
low-fat dairy products," Wang said.

The study received funding from the National Institutes of
Health. The researchers report no conflicts of interest.